I was back in the chair for one week, just one week, and blow me down if it wasn't tougher than a tank of teak. One of those weeks when the more you listen the murkier the prospect of determining any sort of playlist becomes. You ask yourself endless questions: Is this about beauty or lust? Can you lust without perceiving beauty? And even if you can't, wouldn't you get arrested if you expressed it in public?

Such were my sweaty dilemmas. Still, I enjoyed the thread with kudos going to Jack Stowaway for his literary style (one I aspire to myself) and to Tincanman for his impeccable comic timing.

The Temptations – Beauty is Only Skin Deep According to the Temptations, love has nothing to do with beauty. In fact, the only way you can be sure of love is if the one professing it is, well, a bit plain. Great xylophone.

Scritti Politti – The Sweetest Girl I don't think this has much to do with beauty at all (it's about sweetness dammit!), but I allow myself lassitude on the B-list and this dubby, smokey pop treat is worth playing fast and loose with.

Ray Charles – Georgia On My Mind A stirring classic where the landscape is like a lover and/or vice versa. Not explicitly about beauty, but as evocative as any song that is.

Sparklehorse – Most Beautiful Widow in TownA characteristic slice of Mark Linkous melancholy and one that, I think, is narrated by a ghost. Some delicately turned phrases make this a moving song.

Modest Mouse – So Much Beauty in Dirt A charming track driven by an insistent rhythm and a softy's refrain ("There's so much beauty, it can make you cry"). No doubt it's coming to an Ivan Reitman movie soundtrack near you soon ...

The Tindersticks – Keep You Beautiful One of those weeks where a fair few singers sounds as if they've been anaesthetised and so it is here. A lurching melody and starry keyboard line offer sweet accompaniment, even if the lyrics imply something a little more eerie.

Donovan – TurquoiseI like this for the melody, but also because it's a good example of a song in which the singer creates a beautiful image to compare with a lover. Carlos Gardel – Rubias de Nueva YorkIt's the contrast between the rasping vocals and the sugary instrumentation that I like (and the list of Anglo names at the top of each verse).

Robert Wyatt – Sight of the Wind Nominated as being that American Beauty plastic-bag moment set to music, I venture it's more beautiful than that. But can a song be said to be about beauty because it is beautiful itself? It makes my head hurt.

John Lee Hooker – Big Legs, Tight Skirt This is lust, pure and simple, but I can't resist the groove or the line about rocking like a motorboat (where did that come from?)

This week, I want songs from the witching hour. Music that references midnight either in lyric or title is what I'm after, though the real winners will be those that also evoke the spirit of the dead of night. Good stories about music recorded or conceived at midnight will also be taken into consideration.

I am now heading off for ANOTHER two-week break, for which I am nearly sorry. I will be on the blog on Friday though to help with questions and take abuse. RobF is tagging with me once again.

The rulebook:

DO NOT post more than a third of the lyrics to any one song.DO Post your nominations before midday on Monday if you wish them to be considered.DO Post justifications of your choices wherever possible.DO Be nice to each other!